NaNoWriMo!

I created my very first con-world when I was seven years old. At the time, I didn’t know that “con-worlding” was a thing, or that other people took interest in the hobby. I just knew that I loved to create the languages, religions, and customs of the people residing in my world – and then write stories about those people. My sisters and I used to play “dollhouse,” in which we would build homes out of various pieces of furniture or out of books and then place little miniature dolls into them and act out stories. I would always set my characters in my con-world, and once I finished playing with them I would immediately write out the stories that I’d made up during my play time.

Over the years, my con-world began to develop as I matured. My first con-language was a cypher with grammar identical to English. As I began to study other languages and learn more about linguistics in general, my con-lang began to develop into something more authentic and original – with script, grammar rules, and sounds that departed those of my native tongue. I was also an avid student of comparative religion, and the more I learned about the faith traditions of the world, the more in depth the religious beliefs held in my con-world became.

By the time I was twenty years old, my con-world had grown into a place full of history, depth, and a richness that I wanted to try and capture in the form of a fantasy novel. I am a bit of a perfectionist, though, and this has kept me from completing any of the novels that I have begun writing. I once wrote 27 chapters of a novel and then deleted the entire thing, simply because there were a few details that I disliked! How I regret that, now!

My most-used constructed language!

Although being a perfectionist might be one of my character flaws, one great thing about me is that I am always willing to try again! I have never stopped working toward writing the fantasy novel of my dreams, and I have recently discovered the perfect opportunity to push myself toward completion.

NaNoWriMo.

I’d heard of it before but never looked into what it is. Last night, I was browsing Pinterest when I saw an article about NaNoWriMo, and decided to read the article and finally discover what this weird word meant! It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and as (luck, fate, God?) would have it – it is held every November, and I am discovering it just in time for this year’s NaNoWriMo event! Each day in the month of November, participants are to write 2,000 words of their novel. It isn’t a time for editing or self-criticism, but simply a time for writing. By the end of the month participants should have 50,000 words of their novel’s rough draft completed.

Since I plan to be having a baby at the end of November, I have decided to start NaNoWriMo a few weeks early in order to still make it to my goal of writing at least 50,000 words of my novel before the baby comes. Once he is born and I am recovered and settled into our new routine, I will begin the process of editing what I’ve written and will hopefully end up with a decent second draft.

Whatever happens, I promise not to erase the entire thing over a few small frustrations!

I am really excited about this opportunity, as I have been experiencing some heavy writer’s block over this past year! I love to write in my spare time, and I am really happy to have found something to help push me back into it. If anyone else is participating in NaNoWriMo, I would love to connect with you!

This is such a great idea. I heard of NaNoWriMo last year, and had planned to participate this year. However, I’ve decided that my focus for November needs to be my eating/exercising, since I’m doing a FET in December. Keep us updated on your progress!